The Toronto-area MP for York Centre scoffed at reporters on Wednesday when he was asked about the comments in Tel Aviv, where Harper was bestowed with an honorary doctorate from the University of Tel Aviv.

“You guys don’t get a joke, huh? It was all said tongue-in-cheek,” Adler said.

The Prime Minister’s Office denied Adler was in the dog house for his remark, which stood in stark contrast to the triumphant visit Harper made to the Western Wall as throngs of Israelis cheered the prime minister and reached out to touch him as he made his way to and from holy site.

On Thursday, Harper pledged $100 million in additional funds over five years to help Jordan deal with an influx of Syrian refugees.

Another $5 million will be provided to help Jordan mitigate threats posed by Syrian weapons and materials of mass destruction.

Harper made the announcements soon after arriving in Jordan, where he plans to meet with the country’s prime minister, as well as King Abdullah.

With more than 576,000 Syrian refugees fleeing civil war in their country now in Jordan, they now comprise more than nine per cent of Jordan’s population. This is putting a severe strain on the kingdom’s resources and infrastructure.

The Canadian assistance is aimed at helping the economy and delivering basic services, such as education, both to Jordanians and to Syrian refugees.

“Jordan has responded to the plight of Syrian civilians with unwavering compassion and generosity by accepting hundreds of thousands of refugees,” said Harper.

”Canada is proud to be able to help Jordan address the development and security challenges it is facing as a result of the Syrian conflict.”